1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Original Paint Limited Slip Diff Sport Shocks

I’ve preached for years about early Carreras being my personal favorites of the “Impact Bumper” era cars.  Although the later G50 transmissions are stronger, the last years of the 915 gearboxes are the best of a 15-year run and were much lighter.  As a result, these cars feel quicker and much more responsive than the heavier G50 cars.  The gearboxes are very strong and durable if you shift them properly.  They force you to learn how to correctly drive an air-cooled 911.  I love this generation of 911s so much that I have one of my own.

This Carrera was built on May 5^th, 1985, and sold new by Mathieu Imports, the Porsche dealer in Chicago Heights, Illinois on June 22^nd, 1985.  It was ordered with the following factory options:

• Prussian Blue Metallic Paint
• Full Leather Interior
• Limited Slip Differential
• Sport Shock Absorbers
• Monterey Digital Cassette Radio
• Steering Wheel with Raised Hub
• Heatable Seats (left and right)
• Sport Seats w/Power Height Adjustment (left and right)
• 16” Forged Alloy Wheels (Fuchs)
• Cruise Control
• Spoilers, Front and Rear*
• Power Door Locks
• Alarm System
• Electric Sunroof

The MSRP was $41,600, equivalent to $125,749 in today’s money.

The first owner was Thad Siculan of Arcanum, Ohio.  Thad owned this 911 for 24 years and 30k miles.  During his care, he serviced it regularly at his local Porsche dealer.  Besides physical receipts, there are corresponding stamps in the maintenance booklet as well.  He sold his 911 to Leon Kreger of Pebble Beach, California in August of 2009 with 30,850 miles.  He kept this 911 for 4 years and added another 4k miles.  During his care he serviced it at either Monterey Porsche or David Loop European.  Highlights of services during his care include:

• Regular oil services
• 7×16 and 8×16 Fuchs refinished by Harvey Weidman with body matched centers (9/09)
• New tires/service a/c system and repair (11/09 @ 31,576 miles)
• Engine out service, major service, clutch, suspension (11/09 @ 31,523 miles)
  • Remove engine
  • Sachs sport clutch assembly
  • New engine sound pad (NOS)
  • Replace front and rear brake lines/hoses
  • Brake system flush
  • Bilstein front struts and rear shocks
  • Resurface flywheel
  • Spark plugs
  • Adjust valves
  • Valve cover gaskets
  • Distributor cap and rotor
  • Transmission fluid flush
  • Motor mounts
  • Cylinder head temp sensor
  • Repair gauge wiring
  • Oil pressure sending unit
  • Cam oil supply line
  • Install WEVO shift kit and shift coupler with shift rod clamp
  • Oil tank hose
• Upgrade headlights to H4 European units with color matched rings (1/12)

Leon sold this Carrera in August of 2013 with 34,490 miles to David Pollard of Lincoln, California.  A month after purchasing, David participated in his local PCA Zone Concours under the Preservation/Unrestored category, scoring 240 points out of 250 possible.  He went on to participate in a few more PCA Concours events and each time improved his score to 245 out of 250 points.  He kept this 911 for a few years and performed most of the service himself.  He sold it on December 29^th, 2016 with 38,021 miles to a long-time Porsche friend of ours, Bob Smith from Scottsdale, Arizona.

We met Bob nearly 25 years ago.  He is a keen collector and obsessive about original cars and properly sorted examples.  He has excellent taste.  He kept this 911 for the next 3 years and added less than 1k miles.  During his care, he displayed it at the Carmel-By-The-Sea Concours on the Avenue during Monterey Car Week of 2017.  He also performed the following services:

• Oil service at Patrick Motorsports (1/18 @ 38,517 miles)
• Engine out reseal/service by Wayne Baker of Personalized AutoHaus (5/19 @ 38,821 miles)
  • Remove engine and transmission
  • Disassemble top end down to heads
  • Resurface heads
  • Valve job with new valve guides
  • Supertec Performance head studs installed at machine shop
  • Replace major fuel lines
  • New oil/chain tensioner update kit
  • Replace most oil lines and seals
  • Install time-serts
  • New temp switch
  • New alternator belt
  • Oil service

Bob sold this car to a local Los Angeles area Porsche friend of ours in August of 2019 with 39k miles.  This owner kept this 911 for the next 4 years and added another 2,500 miles.  During his ownership, he entered it in the PCA/LA Concours Unrestored Class and finished with 239.3 points out of a possible 250.  It was also displayed at Luftgekühlt 9 (Mare Island, San Francisco) in 2023.  During this owner’s care, he did an oil service and serviced the A/C system.

We’ve known this special Carrera for the past decade and are excited to finally get a chance to experience it.  It is one of the finer examples I’ve seen.

The exterior is exceptional and very original.  I would classify this 911 as a reference example survivor.  It has never been abused as well as always been serviced, garaged, and pampered.  The paint appears to be all original and verified with a paint meter.  There are minimal signs of use with a few minor nicks that have been professionally touched-up.  The deck lid was swapped with a non-spoiler model that was stripped to the bare metal and refinished to a high level.  There is no discernable difference from the rest of the car.  The original Carrera tail spoiler with deck lid is included with the purchase.*  All the glass is original as well, including the windshield.  All the factory stampings are visible.  There are no major chips or scratches on the glass.  The factory Fuchs wheels were upgraded to 7s and 8s about 15 years ago.  They were professionally refinished by Harvey Weidman, one of the best in the business.  At the time, Dunlop tires were installed, which are still on the car (dated 2009).  Although they have more than half-tread and no signs of age or dry rot, they should be replaced due to age.  The front brake pads have at least 75% life remaining.  The rear brake pads have between a third and a half-life remaining.  There are no significant lips on the rotors.  All the exterior lights work.

The interior exemplifies the low miles and regular care this 911 received by all the prior owners.  The leather sport seats are in great shape with no tears or rips and just very light/typical wear on the exit bolsters.  The power functions of both seats work.  I’m not sure if the heated seat element works or not.  The rear seats look unused.  The headliner has no tears, rips, or sagging issues and the headliner lights work.  The sunroof panel also has no issues.  The sun visors look great with no issues either.  The carpet has no signs of major wear or staining and the original dealer-installed floor mats from new are still present and in very good shape.  The leather-trimmed door panels are near perfect with none of the typical pocket warping you see on this generation 911.  The speaker grills are also in good shape.  The full leather dash looks very good with minimal warping, which was very common with this generation.  There’s a slight bulge around the center a/c vents, but nothing major.  All the gauges work, including the clock.  The original Blaupunkt Monterey radio works as do the power mirrors, windows, locks, and sunroof.  The a/c system was previously charged and serviced; however, it needs a fresh recharge.  Also, the steering column bushing/bearing needs to be replaced as it wiggles a bit.

The underside, trunk area, and engine compartment all look fresh.  The hardware still looks new despite being nearly 40 years old.  There are no signs of any prior issues or corrosion.  The underside looks very dry and straight with no signs of significant oil leaks or other issues.

It drives as good as it looks.  Everything feels tight and crisp.  The car starts on the first try and holds an even idle.  Once at operating temperature, it pulls evenly throughout the rev range.  There is no hesitation or other issues.  The transmission shifts smoothly with a bit more precision and notchiness due to the upgraded Wevo shifter unit.  There’s no grinding or slipping of the clutch.  The brakes have a good initial bite with no fading or pulling.  Handling is responsive and balanced.  The car tracks straight.  The handling and ride would be even better with some fresh tires.

California registration is paid to August of 2024 and it passes California’s strict smog/emission test.

This 911 comes with two original keys, 1 alarm key, original owner’s manual with vinyl case, original maintenance booklet with dealer stamps, 3-ring binder with most service from new, copy of original window sticker, original tool kit, original air compressor, space saver spare, jack, car bra with vinyl case, indoor car cover, original “sugar scoop” headlights with painted rings, extra door seal, and original Carrera rear spoiler with deck lid.

*The Carrera rear spoiler with decklid is removed by one of the prior owners.  It’s included with the sale.  If the buyer wants it installed before delivery, there will be an additional service fee.

**Note: VIN and other numbers withheld to protect against fraud.  All numbers including VIN, Engine, and color will be provided to serious buyers.